Tales of the savage cannibals of the Pacific Isles were a stark contrast to those of the peaceful idylls of Polynesia. In January, 1770, Cook observed and recorded in his journal cannibalistic rituals practiced by the Maori, explained to him as religious rites by his Tahitian assistant.Ĭook’s journals were published upon his return to England the following year, as were those of the botanist who had traveled with him on his voyage, Joseph Banks. Accompanying him on the voyage to New Zealand was a Tahitian priest, Tupaia, who assisted him in navigating the Polynesian islands, and told him of the islands now known as Fiji, though Cook did not visit the archipelago. The English explorer James Cook explored the lands occupied by the Maori in 1770 following his visit to Tahiti, where he observed the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. Captain James Cook described cannibalism among the Maori and on islands he observed on his voyages James Cook encountered cannibals and learned of others during his voyages, but he wasn’t eaten by them as some believe. The children were to be the victims of cannibalism, lured to the oven of a cannibalistic witch. The fairy tale we know as Hansel and Gretel, which was first written down by the Brothers Grimm, was likely based on an old folk tale which derived from the period of the Great Famine. Although many deny that cannibalism took place, arguing the spreading influence of the Church would have prevented it, others believe the evidence is overwhelming that it did, particularly of children found abandoned. Frightened people in towns and villages recorded the stories of murder and cannibalism in France, the Germanic lands, and in Central Europe.Īrcheological evidence from bones discovered in the 20 th century, carbon-dated to the period of the Great Famine and the lean years which followed, indicates butchering of human bodies, as well as evidence of burning. The crime of infanticide became common, and cannibalism occurred across Europe, often preceded by murder, as roving bands of starving people struggled to find food. The famine affected Europe from the Russian plains to the Italian Alps. During the famine, millions of people died due to starvation, sickness, and crime. Cannibalism led to one of the Western world’s favorite fairy talesĭuring the Great Famine in Europe (1315-1317), poor growing conditions in the spring of 1315 led to lost crops and severe food shortages which lasted until the harvest at the end of 1317. The Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel was born out of German folklore about cannibalism. Here is some of the history of human cannibalism, including who practiced it and why. Cannibalism has been practiced in recent times in wars on the African continent, and rumors of its continuing among remote tribes in the Pacific Islands and South America are found readily. It was practiced in North America among several Indian tribes, and the name Mohawk for the Eastern Iroquoian tribe was derived from a Narragansett word meaning maneaters. WikimediaĮnglish and French navigators encountered cannibalism in the South Pacific during the Age of Exploration, and the Fiji Islands were known as the Cannibal Isles, based on the tales sailors told by more friendly natives in Tahiti, Hawaii, and other locales. An ad for film exhibitors describing a documentary on cannibalism was first shown in 1918. Other scholars refuted his arguments with physical evidence. In 1979, a controversial book written by William Arens posed the argument that cannibalism has never existed anywhere in the world where it was considered socially acceptable, and where it did occur it was based solely on the temporary lack of other food sources. It has been practiced as part of religious rituals, as simple food, and as part of warfare. Long a staple of movies and television, sometimes for comic effect, cannibalism was not limited to Africa and South America, or the islands of the South Pacific. Cannibalism, the consumption of members of one’s own species, is known to occur in over 1,500 species of animal life on earth, one of which is humanity.
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